


Dog Days Are (Not) Over

by Dragon_Lord



Series: High School AU [8]
Category: Zoo (TV)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship, fwp (fluff without plot)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 20:42:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13597986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Lord/pseuds/Dragon_Lord
Summary: Jamie's got a problem that only Mitch can help solve.There's a dog involved.





	Dog Days Are (Not) Over

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! First story since the great Amnesia AU of 2017. Feels good, feels organic.

 

_September - Sophomore Year_

Mitch had been home for about a half hour after school when he got Jamie’s text, which read: **I need ur help.**

Much shorter than her usual messages, which often went on for paragraphs. So she was upset. It probably had something to do with the algebra homework due on Thursday. The class was going to kill her “as slowly and painfully as possible,” she had declared at the start of the semester.

Wiping the potato chip crumbs from his hands, Mitch typed out a quick reply.

**With what?**

Her answer didn’t come for a few minutes. Right when he thought she’d forgotten about him and solved the problem herself, his phone pinged again.

**Long story. Can u meet me at my house?**

He frowned. This was sounding less like a homework problem and more of an actual problem. Only one thing to do, then.

**Be there in 10.**

\---

Jamie was in her front yard when he pulled up, wringing her hands worriedly, and she seemed to give a sigh of relief as soon as she saw him. He climbed out of the car, trying not to look like he was rushing. He was three minutes earlier than he said he’d be, after all.

“What’s wrong?” he called. “You get locked out?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s—um, well… just follow me.” She turned and headed for the wooden gate that led to the backyard. Mitch frowned.

“Are you all right?” he said, still concerned. “Is Lucas all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re fine. That’s not it.”

There was a kind of shuffling sound coming from beyond the fence, as if dirt was being thrown around. He could hear laughter, which meant Lucas was okay, at least.

Right when Mitch was about to ask her again what exactly the problem was, she opened the gate and he was immediately greeted by a mass of slobber and muddy blonde fur that almost knocked him off his feet.

“No, get down!” Jamie scolded the creature, tugging it off of him. Mitch stared at the thing in confusion for a second before his brain caught up.

“A dog,” he deadpanned. “You got a dog. When did you get a dog?”

Jamie sighed in exasperation as the dog in question—a very dirty golden retriever—settled down and sniffed at Mitch’s feet.

“I didn’t,” she said. “He followed me home and now he won’t go away!”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

A young boy of about fourteen rounded the corner and smiled in greeting. His curly hair was every bit as red as his sister’s, but his round eyes were a deep brown. Kneeling down next to the dog, he scratched its head affectionately.

“Hey, Mitch,” he said.

Mitch nodded. “Sup, Lucas? How are things?”

“Pretty good,” he said with a shrug, then smiled. “Better now that Henry’s here!”

“Henry?”

Jamie rolled her eyes. “He’s already named the dog. We’re not keeping him, Lucas!”

“Aw, come on!” Lucas whined, looping his arms around Henry’s neck protectively. The dog, oblivious, sat down and continued to wag his tail. “All we’ve got is your stupid scorpion, Steve! Why can’t we have a normal pet?”

“Because Mom’s allergic to pet hair,” she said, looking irritated but apologetic at the same time. “You know that! I’m allowed to keep Steve cause he doesn’t have any hair. Why don’t you get an iguana or something?”

Lucas frowned. “I don’t want an iguana, I want a dog.”

Sensing an argument coming on, Mitch intervened. “How about I take him?”

They both looked at him.

“Really?” Jamie asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah. My dad’s not allergic, and we both like dogs. You guys can come visit him whenever you want. Isn’t that why you wanted me to come over?”

“Actually, I thought you could give us a ride to the animal shelter and drop him off there,” she said. Henry whined, as if he understood her. “Are you sure you want him?”

Mitch leaned over to give the dog’s ears a scratch. He whined again, and for the first time, Mitch noticed he was favoring his right paw, keeping the other aloft. He knelt down to get a closer look, squinting at the dog’s muddy left leg.

“Is he okay?” Lucas asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “Looks like he might have something stuck in his paw. Do you guys have any, uh, tweezers?”

Jamie nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go get them.”

As she left, Mitch stood and looked to her brother. “Let’s get him over to the porch.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Together, they led the slightly-limping Henry through the yard and got him to lie down on the back steps. He placed his front paws in Mitch’s lap. Jamie came out with a pair of tweezers, handing them over silently. Mitch took them and got to work, first feeling around with his fingers for whatever it was causing the pain. More than once, Henry jerked a bit in his arms, whining.

“Keep him still, will ya?” he told Lucas, who obeyed, shushing Henry and holding onto him tightly.

Finally, a minute later, Mitch used the tweezers to extract a tiny, muddy thorn from between two pads of the paw. Henry’s trembling immediately stopped and he leaned forward to sloppily lick Mitch’s chin in thanks.

Jamie giggled. “He likes you.”

“Yeah, seems like it.” Mitch said with a smile before petting Henry again. “How ‘bout it, boy? Wanna come home with me?”

\---

It wasn’t until they pulled into his driveway with the dog secured in the backseat (definitely getting mud everywhere), that Mitch realized Jamie had never been to his house. Or met his dad.

Oh, boy.

Better just to get it over with, he thought, unlocking the front door as Jamie coaxed Henry up the driveway. The worst Max could do was be his usual, eccentric self, and there wasn’t anything Mitch could do about that. He’d tried.

“Mitch?” came his father’s voice as soon as they crossed the threshold of the house. “That you, son?”

He sighed. “Yeah, I’m back.”

Sure enough, the elder Morgan appeared in the kitchen doorway, wiping his hands on a dishtowel and smiling his usual curious smile.

“I see we have guests,” he remarked, as if strange girls walked dogs into his house every other day. “Who might you two be?”

Jamie smiled politely, offering a hand. “Jamie Campbell, sir. And, uh, this is Henry.”

Mitch lingered near the stairs, barely restraining his scoff when Max took Jamie’s hand and, instead of shaking it, bowed as if he were greeting a foreign dignitary. Thirty seconds in and he was already being weird.

“Pleased to meet you, Jamie. Henry,” he added, nodding at the golden retriever before looking back to Jamie. “So, are you Mitch’s girlfriend?”

“Dad!” Mitch snapped in embarrassment.

“What?” Max asked innocently, still smiling. “Can’t I take an interest in my son’s love life?”

“I’d really rather you didn’t.”

Jamie cleared her throat awkwardly. “Uh, no, Mr. Morgan, Mitch and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends.”

“Dr. Morgan,” Max corrected, as if force of habit. He shook his head. “But you can call me Max, of course. Is this your dog?”

She glanced down, eyes wide, as if she’d forgotten Henry was there. “Oh, um kind of. See, he followed me home today, and my little brother really wants to keep him, but our mom is super allergic to pet hair, so—”

“—so I said he could stay with us.” Mitch finished for her. “Is that okay?”

Max knelt down to give Henry a thorough once-over. The dog looked back at him with dark eyes and his tail wagged fiercely, the only indication of his excitement. Max scratched the golden fur of his neck.

“No collar,” he murmured. “He looks like a stray, but you two should put up a few posters, just in case his owner’s missing him.” He stood up, chuckling at the sight of Henry’s muddy paws. “And it looks like a bath wouldn’t go amiss, either.”

“We can keep him?” Mitch asked. He was only surprised at how little time it took to convince him.

Max nodded. “Sure, of course! We could use the company. But I’m putting you in charge of his care, Mitch, understand? Make sure he’s well-fed, and take him on walks every so often so he gets his exercise.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jamie smiled wide. “Thank you so much,” she said. “Lucas will be so glad!”

“No trouble at all, Miss Campbell,” Max assured her with a smile. “Now, why don’t you two get him washed up?”

As she began to lead the dog upstairs, Max stopped Mitch for a moment.

“She’s very pretty,” he remarked casually. Mitch groaned and left without responding.

\---

Getting Henry to the upstairs bathroom wasn’t as difficult as either of them expected. He followed Mitch without complaint, only stumbling a bit over the hallway rug.

Getting him into the tub, however, was another problem entirely.

“Come on, boy, it’s bath time!” Jamie tried, sitting on the closed toilet and patting the side of the tub in invitation. Henry didn’t move. “Come on, into the tub!”

“I’ll try,” Mitch offered. “Henry, get in the tub, buddy!”

Immediately, Henry stepped over the side of the tub and stood in the warm water. Jamie stuck out her tongue at Mitch, who smiled smugly. He sat down on the rug next to the tub.

“Why does he only listen to you?” she asked.

He shrugged and rolled his sleeves up. “We obviously have a connection. You wouldn’t understand.”

Jamie laughed. “Oh, shut up. Here.” She handed him the bottle of shampoo. “You sure this stuff is safe to use on animals?”

“It’ll be okay this once,” he said, squirting some into his palm. “I’ll buy some dog shampoo tomorrow.”

The water was already dirtying and Mitch’s elbows bumped against the cold rim of the tub, sleeves threatening to slide back down. He could feel Jamie watching him as he lathered up the dog’s fur with the sudsy shampoo.

“What?” he said, nudging his glasses up with his arm.

“You’re really good with him,” she muttered. “I think he really likes you.”

Mitch smirked. “Well, I’ve always preferred animals to humans. Present company excluded,” he added, giving her a sideways glance.

She smiled and bumped her knee against him. “You old softie.”

Truthfully, he didn’t think he’d have any friends at all if it weren’t for her. She was the one who introduced him to Jackson, Chloe, Abe. If Jamie hadn’t come storming into the library that day, asking for his help, Mitch wouldn’t have any social life at all. She’d saved him from being a complete loner.

But just like every other time he wanted to tell her what she meant to him, his heart got caught in his throat and he ended up staying quiet.

She was the one who was good with words, not him.

“Thanks for this, by the way,” Jamie said. “I think Lucas would’ve killed me if I took Henry to the shelter.”

“No problem,” he replied, playfully flicking some water at her. “Now, are you gonna help, or are you just gonna sit there and watch me do all the work?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically the first appearance of Max and Lucas (and Henry) in the high school AU! Yay! I don't actually remember why I decided to give Jamie a little brother, but I like him, so he's gonna stick around.
> 
> And I know there’s like, no real conflict in this one so it might be a little boring, but I just wanted to write about teenage Mitch and Jamie adopting a dog, and I'm sure you guys don't object to mindless fluff, given that the show is 99% angst. So, enjoy!


End file.
